Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Caravan started this blog to publish news about The American University in Cairo. Thanks to your continued support and readership, we’re growing again.

Find our new home at www.auccaravan.org — that’s where you will find the latest news, features, video reports and PDFs of our weekly print edition about life at one of the most important universities in the Middle East.

So thanks again, and keep sending your news tips and comments to auccaravan@gmail.com! And don’t forget to add us as a friend on your Facebook page, where you can join the discussion among students and alumni.

By Sarah Wali and Nicholas Gerda
AUC’s technology services has issued a warning to faculty and students against a phishing scam that appears to be coming from their office. The scammers are using the University Academic Computing Technologies’ support email to ask for user passwords.
“They are trying to get you to tell them an account number and a password for some particular use,” said John Stuckey, AUC Chief Technology Officer.
“This message is from aucegypt.edu messaging center to all email account owners. We are currently upgrading our database and e-mail account center. We are deleting all unused accounts to create more space for new accounts,” reads the email.

“A lot of people use the same password for all their accounts. So if I use the same password for my bank account as I do for my email account, they might use it to break into my bank account,” Stuckey added.
While the email appears to be sent from support@aucegypt.edu, an address to the UACT department, replies sent from faculty to the email were traced to a different address: support@emailsupports.com. The same address sent phishing emails in October and November to other universities around the world including Pacific Lutheran University, University of Waterloo and Trinity College Dublin.
A phishing scam involves fraudsters asking for personal information such as account numbers and passwords. They then use this information to either steal money or identities. Their emails seem legitimate because they come from a reliable and trusted source.

“The people who do this try to find the most plausible things they could make, so that they appear to be legitimate,”
Stuckey warns student against giving out email passwords. He stresses that no institution will ask users for their passwords. Anyone who is looking for email passwords could be aiming to hack into the user’s bank account.

Lebanese pop-singer Ramy Ayash, D.J Carlos, and performer-singer Nicole Saba are going to entertain and sing in the Fall Concert, which will be held by the AUC Student Union this Saturday.

The S.U. organizes and end of semester concert as part of it’s mission statement. “But this year every body wants to celebrate moving to New Campus,” said Ahmed Saleh, the Chair Activities Committee. “So we wanted it big and sparkling.

The cost of the concert is being covered McDonalds, Commercial and Industrial Group, Port Ghalib resorts, Cherry Cars, and Housing and Development Bank. “We are offering 2,000 tickets for 60 L.E,” said Saleh, “they will be available ‘til the day of the concert.”

Saleh said they had not made any arrangements for commuting. However, he is hoping that the concert being on a Saturday rather than a Friday will mean attendees, who are both from within and outside AUC, will be able to take advantage of the university buses running.

AUC students, however, don’t think the timing for a concert is right. “It’s Eid and we have finals afterwards, I won’t have the time to go to a concert,” said Loujaina El Sayed, economics senior.

“The concert should be held after exams, so I can be relaxed enough to enjoy it,” said Nizar Khashaba, mass communications sophomore.

Mohamed Kamal, I.T coordinator in the S.U, said they had been organizing the event for two months. “We all work together as if it’s a one family business,” he added. “Of course we faced some problems regarding the license for the party, taxes and getting sponsors but we have managed through them all.”

The concert will take place at the AUC Portal. Tickets are available at the SU booth opposite the SSE building.

Though Jared’s Bagels and Cilantro have been delivering food to campus buildings and offices, some customers say delivery hasn’t been efficient.

“I once ordered tea and it was very cold because he was lost. I think it is a very good idea the on-campus delivery, but unfortunately they come very late,” said Nessrine Sorour, secretary of the journalism and mass communication department, adding that sometimes restaurants do not answer their phones.

“Delivery men used to get lost so it used to take them so much time and effort to find the place,” said Wael Mamdouh, supervisor at Jared’s Bagels. “Delivery men go on foot and the university now is really big, that’s why I rarely do it. Maybe if I get more delivery men with a golf cart or a scooter it would be much better.”

Meanwhile, Cinnabon has been unable to start its delivery services.

“I want to start working on the delivering on campus, but we don’t have a landline. When we get the landline, I will [have] delivery men [use] roller blades,” said Mahmoud Othman, Cinnabon shift manager.

However, the use of scooters and roller blades has been banned on campus and delivery men are not permitted to use the university’s golf carts.

“It’s banned for delivery men to use the carts. Carts are only used to move food and goods and once the tunnel works, you will not be able to see the carts on campus,” said Yussr Essawi, who manages the golf carts.

El Amir Mohamed Saad, Cilantro booth manager, was aware of this restriction. “Delivery men go on foot because club carts are not permitted for us to use and we only deliver to faculty, never to students.”

But according to Essawi, delivery would be useless in a few months when restaurants will be open all over campus.

Nevertheless, faculty and staff say delivery will save time and effort, regardless of whether there are other restaurants open on campus.

Hala Abdel Hak, adjunct professor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology and Egyptology (SAPE), was not aware of the delivery service. “It’s going to help us a lot. I’m going to save a lot of time for my students [because] instead of leaving the office in my office hours, I will probably make a delivery,” she said.

Heba El Hawary, a secretary in the Kamal Adham Center for Television Training and Research, agrees. “It is very useful because I really don’t have time to go get food and come back; you have to wait in a line for so long to get your order.”

Meanwhile, some students thought delivery was a bad idea.

“The campus is not very big; we can walk to burn off what we are eating,” said Steph Hummed, political science junior.

“They can’t even manage to serve the people in the queues, so how can they manage the people outside the queues. There must be more restaurants and cafeterias in different areas on campus,” said Aya El Abnoudy, journalism and mass communication junior.

Mamdouh agreed that there were still some kinks to work through before the service could be completely efficient.

“The delivery on campus didn’t fail, but it needs more organization and more delivery men because we are always pressured,” he said.

Jared’s Bagels extension number is 4807 and Cilantro’s extension is 1298.